levin



A. L. LEVIN.

FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28,1917.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

2 SHtETSSHEET I.

awn/boa:

A. L. LEVIN.

FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. 1917.

1 ,403,508. Patented Jan, 17, 1922.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES ABRAHAM L. LEVIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FUEL-SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

Application filed. February 28, 191?. Serial No. 151,412.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Amen-ran L. LEVIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at 24:9 West 102ml Street, New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel io upply Systems for Explosive Engines, of which the follow ing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates primarily to a controlling mechanism for the fuel supply to explosive engines used upon automobiles, power boats or the like, and more especially to means whereby the amount of fuel to be fed to the engine can be varied as desired, and furthermore wherein said means can be operated for positively shutting off the fuel supply and locked in such position for preventing unauthorized use or removal of the automobile or other vehicle upon which the improvements are installed.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to bring about the above results by the provision of a valve located in the fuel supply pipe between the fuel supply tank and the carburetor to the engine. said valve capable of being set and locked in any one of a seriesof positions, as occasion demands, for preventing more than the required amount of fuel being fed to the carburetor according to the maximum speed at which it is desired to have the automobile driven. In this connection it will be noted that the maximumspeed of an automobile of the usual. horsepower may be controlled at the will of the owner, or in other words set to a reduced maximum speed below its normal horsepower, this being particularly useful in the case of delivery automobiles, where it is most desirable to prevent the driving of said vehicle beyond a certain speed, and furthermore, where, in the case of careless driving, it is desirableto prevent the feed ing of more fuel than is required for the speed at which the machine is being driven.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a valve of this character, preferably located in convenient reach of the operator, for shutting off all fuel supply to the engine, this safety valve being enclosed within a locked casing, or in fact capable of being locked in any other preferred manner, for the purpose of preventing the unauthorized use of the explosive engine.

In order to further insure against the use of the automobile by unauthorized persons, provision is also made for the removal of a short section of the fuel pipe leading from the safety valve to the carburetor of the explosive englne, which pipe section may be readily applied and removed for the purpose intended, it being obvious that in the event the automobile is to be left standing tor any length of time unattended, this pipe section may be removed and carried away by the operator, thus rendering the auto mobile inoperative until said pipe section is replaced and the valve opened.

Further objects, and advantages of the rescnt invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein one preferred form of the present invention is clearly illustrated.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation indlcating the relative location of the several parts of the present invention upon an automobile.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of the removable fuel pipe section and its conncc-i tions.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the valve and its pipe connections, the valve being shown. in closed position.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the valve, said valve being shown in full open position.

Figure 5 is a detail view, partly in section, of the valve turning plug and its spring actuated pawls, and

Figures 6, 7 and S are detail cross sectional views of the valve structure, showing more particularly the several positions assumed by the spring actuated pawls for holding the valve in its several set positions.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the numeral 1 designates the main fuel supply tank, disposed as frequently at the rear of the vehicle, the general outline of said vehicle being pre-. sented in dotted lines. The carburetor 2 as usual is disposed alongside the engine under the hood or bonnet enclosing the same, and said carburetor is connected with the tank 1 by a system of piping to be referred tomore in detail hereinafter, said piping serving to convey the fuel from the tank 1, and deliver the same to the float chamber of the carburetor. n

regulating alve designated at Fl, and

this valve is introduced into the supply pipe of the fuel system for an explosive engine to which the device is applied, said valve being located on the dashboard of the vehicle in convenient reach of the operator, and furthermore permanently connected on one side to the fuel pipe 4: leading from the fuel tank 1. On the other side of the valve is detachably connected thereto, a short section of pipe 5, which leads from said valve to the carburetor to which said pipe section 5 is alSo detachablv connected, as clearly shown in detail in Figure 2. This pipe section 5 may be bodily removed from the fuel supply system after the valve is set in closed position, thus rendering the engine inoperative and preventing unauthorized use and removal of the automobile.

The particular type of valve used in the present instance is shown in detail in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and consists of a valve of the turning plug type, the valve casing being indicated at 6 in these detail figures, and the turning plug designated at 7. A washer or cap 8 is detachably connected to the lower end of the turning plug by means of a transverse pin 9, so that for all intents and purposes this washer or cap 8 is a permanent part of the turning plug. A coil spring 10 is enclosed Within the lower part of the valve casing, said spring being coiled about the lower shank of the turning plug, and attached at one end to the valve casing and at its other end to the washer or cap 8. The purpose of this spring is to hold the valve under spring tension in its closed position, and unless otherwise held in other positions of adjustment by mechanism which will be presently described. To limit the movement of the turning plug from closed position to full open position, there is provided a pin and slot arrangement, the pin as indicated at 11 being permanently attached to the turning plug, and engaging within a slot 12 located in the upper part of the valve casing, the end walls of said slot cooperating with said pin to limit the turning movement of the valve plug.

As has been stated above the valve which is to be used in the above relation is capable of being set in any one of a series of positions for regulating the amount of fuel to be fed to the engine carburetor, and in this connection it will be obvious that any number of these set positions may be provided as occasion may require. In the present in stance, for the purpose of illustration, only three set positions are shown, namely, full open position, half open position, and closed position, although any other positions of adjustment may be provided if found necessary. 1 v a In order to hold the turning plug in its several set positions of adjustment, a pawl and ratchet mechanism is provided, the pawls being indicated. at 12 two of said pawls being shown in the present instance, which pawls are pivotally connected at their upper ends to the thumb piece 13 of the turning plug, said thumb piece being bifurcated as shown to accommodate said pawls and also a coiled spring 14 which is interposed between said pawls and serves to press the same in an outward direction against the annular flange 15 of the valve casing. Upon the interior face of this annular flange are formed ratchet teeth 3 with which the spring pressed pawls are adapted to engage and thus serve to hold the turning plug in the desired adjusted position. The spring pawls are also provided with thumb pieces .1 u, so that said pawls may be readily manipulated in bringing about the proper adjustment of the valve.

In order to prevent unauthorized persons from tampering with or operating the valve after benig set in the desired position of adjustment, a casing is provided for said valve as indicated at 17 in Figure l. of the drawings, said casing adapted to be locked for the purpose intended. It is to be understood, however, that the valve may be locked in its position of adjustment in any other preferred manner.

From the above description, it will be seen that the valve which is introduced in the fuel supply system at the point indicated herein serves a dual function, namely as a controlling means for varying the supply of fuel to the engine carburetor, and also as a means for entirely shutting off all fuel supply to the engine, in which last mentioned instance said valve acts as a safety lock to prevent unauthorized use or removal of the automobile. It is also to be noted that the removable pipe section insures further and additional safety in this regard, and is an absolute means for preventing unauthorized use of the automobile, even though the looking means for the valve be tampered with and the valve turned to open position.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a fuel supply system for explosive engines, a fuel tank, a pipe leading from said tank and supplying fuel to the engine, a valve introduced in said fuel supply pipe and capable of shutting off the supply of fuel to said engine, and a removable section in the supply pipe between said valve and the engine for rendering said engine inoperative while removed.

2. In a fuel supply system for explosive engines, a fuel tank, a carburetor, a supply pipe leading from the tank, a valve in said pipe for controlling the supply fuel to the arburetor, means for preventing the operation of said valve, a removable pipe section in a supply pipe having one end detaehably connected to the valve and its other end provided with a transverse opening, a tubular extension leading from the carburetor and having its free end engaged through said opening, and means detaohably securing said pipe section to the tubular extension of the carburetor.

3. In a fuel supply system for explosive engines, a fuel tank, a pipe leading from said tank and supplying fuel to the engine, a valve introduced in said fuel supply pipe and capable of shutting off the supply of fuel to said engine, means for locking said valve in closed position, and a removable section in the supply pipe between said valve and engine for rendering said engine inoperative while removed.

4:. In a fuel supply system for explosive engines, regulating means for varying the supply of fuel to the engine, manually operated means for holding said regulating means in any one of a series of set positions, and means for preventing the operation of said manually operated means during the closed or locked position of said preventing means.

5. In a fuel supply system for explosive engines, a valve in said supply system, means for setting and holding said valve in any one of a series of positions to vary the supply of fuel to the engine, and means for preventing the operation of said valve during the closed or locked position of said preventing means.

(3. In a fuel supply system for explosive engines, a fuel tank, a carburetor, a pipe conveying fuel from said tank to the carburetor, a regulating valve introduced in said fuel. supply pipe, manually operated means for setting and holding said valve in an one of a series of positions to vary the supp y of fuel to said carburetor, and means for preventing the operation of said manually operated means during the closed or locked position of said preventing means.

In testimony Wherof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABRAHAM L. LEVIN.

Witnesses:

HELEN N. RAusE'r, MARGARET E. Hams. 

